Mile High Spirits Takes A Shot At Canned Cocktails

Denver distiller Mile High Spirits is taking a swing at national distribution this summer with a new workhorse – canned Moscow Mules. It’ll be the distillery’s first time distributing outside of Colorado.

Mile High Spirits has been canning the fashionable mixed drink at its LoDo distillery at 2201 Lawrence St. for three weeks. In June, the company will begin distributing the “Punching Mule” in four markets: Denver; Madison, Wisconsin; Austin, Texas; and Charleston, South Carolina.

“From the time we first opened (in 2012), we were pouring 200 to 300 Moscow Mules a night,” said co-founder Joe von Feldt. “It’s the most-ordered cocktail in Colorado right now, and we’re the first one to market it.”

The drinks are made by mixing Mile High Spirits’ vodka with ginger beer concentrate and carbonating the mixture. The company cans the concoction on-site and can pump out one can each second. The drinks were originally 8 percent alcohol, but MHS lowered that to 7 percent so they could be sold in the same stores as beer in some jurisdictions.